Just got my TX200 - First Impressions

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Smaug

Smaug

Member
Aug 5, 2016
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midwest, United States
This is my third high-grade springer. (the first was my Weihrauch HW30s, followed by the Diana 56TH) Or maybe this is my first high grade, and the previous two are mid-grade?

It's dieseling like crazy now, and is quite loud, so I can't make any judgments yet on noise, accuracy, or velocity.

The thing is a beast. It's not "kind of heavy." It is properly heavy. Some folks are afraid to say anything negative about it, since it is so widely acknowledged as a great airgun. It feels about as heavy as my Diana 56TH it probably has a lot to do with the cocking lever, which goes all the way out front. A side lever would've been better, although not as elegant-looking. (the under lever looks like a tubular magazine on a powderburner, whereas a side lever can't really be disguised). The airgun world needs more (still in production) non-magnum side lever springers, IMHO.

Cocking effort seems kind of high, compared to my comparably-powered Stoeger X20. (though that one is well broken-in.) It feels/sounds like it needs some oil in the mechanism somewhere, but I'll resist the urge, as I don't want any more in the barrel or loading port.

I guess I should've cleaned the barrel before shooting it at all, but I just shot about 20 rounds of RWS SuperDome.

The stock feels great. The fit and finish live up to the hype, which is all I need to say about that. The grip feels good, not like it's about to break my wrist if I shoot it seated.

For now, I've got a Leapers 3-12x40 AO scope on it. I've got a Hawke Vantage 6-24x44 scope on the way. (since this rig isn't heavy enough yet, hehehe)

I do hope it quiets down a lot, as I was looking forward to shooting it in the backyard without rousing the neighbors' attention.
 
I've owned two of the .22 TX200 MKIII(s) and it's a heavy gun. Mine weighs-in at 11 lbs with the scope. Neither of my guns dieseled!!! Not ever!!! I would be interested in hearing from other TX owners. Your's is the first post I've read concerning dieseling. You should use a bore snake and clean the barrel before proceeding, you don't want to damage the breach seal. 
 
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Seems to me like my TX dieseled for maybe 50 shots when I first got it. It will be backyard friendly and I wouldnt worry to much about it. I did take mine completely apart within short order and lube to my personal specs. My particular rifle had way to much lube on the mainspring and internals. I will say this tho......it will come around in short order. They are very fine springers. The only "problem" I had was finding a scope mount that didnt move. I started with BKL triple strap mounts......I noticed they were moving back and kept going tighter and tighter until I stripped both front and rear mounts where they clamp onto the 11mm dovetail. Oddly enough........the leapers one piece mount with stop pin that was like 18 bucks stayed put and solved that problem.
 
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"Marksman3006"Seems to me like my TX dieseled for maybe 50 shots when I first got it. It will be backyard friendly and I wouldnt worry to much about it. I did take mine completely apart within short order and lube to my personal specs. My particular rifle had way to much lube on the mainspring and internals. I will say this tho......it will come around in short order. They are very fine springers. The only "problem" I had was finding a scope mount that didnt move. I started with BKL triple strap mounts......I noticed they were moving back and kept going tighter and tighter until I stripped both front and rear mounts where they clamp onto the 11mm dovetail. Oddly enough........the leapers one piece mount with stop pin that was like 18 bucks stayed put and solved that problem.
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When did you get your TX200?
 
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About 6 or 7 months ago. I polished the trigger sears.......stained and polished the stock......and put a vortek spring kit in it. I got into pcp airguns and sold it to mrjohns here on the forum about a month or so ago. I did alot of work to it tho and know the TX inside and out now. I will say this.....later on if you feel the bug to upgrade give the vortek spring kits a look. On my rifle it actually improved the accuracy because it smoothed out the shot cycle. The stock setup is already awesome......but the vortek was an improvement in my rifle. If and when you ever relube I would recommend this moly lube. It doesnt diesel and its super slick. A little goes a long ways. You got yourself a very fine airgun for sure. Just shoot the mess out of it for awhile and have fun. I know I sure did. I took alot of critters out with mine in .22 before going deeper down the rabbit hole in this addictive hobby.

 
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"Smaug"This is my third high-grade springer. (the first was my Weihrauch HW30s, followed by the Diana 56TH) Or maybe this is my first high grade, and the previous two are mid-grade?

It's dieseling like crazy now, and is quite loud, so I can't make any judgments yet on noise, accuracy, or velocity.

The thing is a beast. It's not "kind of heavy." It is properly heavy. Some folks are afraid to say anything negative about it, since it is so widely acknowledged as a great airgun. It feels about as heavy as my Diana 56TH it probably has a lot to do with the cocking lever, which goes all the way out front. A side lever would've been better, although not as elegant-looking. (the under lever looks like a tubular magazine on a powderburner, whereas a side lever can't really be disguised). The airgun world needs more (still in production) non-magnum side lever springers, IMHO.

Cocking effort seems kind of high, compared to my comparably-powered Stoeger X20. (though that one is well broken-in.) It feels/sounds like it needs some oil in the mechanism somewhere, but I'll resist the urge, as I don't want any more in the barrel or loading port.

I guess I should've cleaned the barrel before shooting it at all, but I just shot about 20 rounds of RWS SuperDome.

The stock feels great. The fit and finish live up to the hype, which is all I need to say about that. The grip feels good, not like it's about to break my wrist if I shoot it seated.

For now, I've got a Leapers 3-12x40 AO scope on it. I've got a Hawke Vantage 6-24x44 scope on the way. (since this rig isn't heavy enough yet, hehehe)

I do hope it quiets down a lot, as I was looking forward to shooting it in the backyard without rousing the neighbors' attention.

Interesting that its too heavy and too hard to cock with the under barrel lever? And if you wanted a hidden lever I would have went for a AA Pro-Sport. But my AA TX200 never had a dieseling problem. Your next rifle you should check the listed weight and maybe try a co2 or a pcp. The important thing is can you hit anything at 40+ yards?
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I have had my TX now for about 1500 rounds, I have to say that the scope has given me issues since day one, I put a Sidewinder on it and really like the glass but it seems like it does not hold true. Tonight I put a Hawke Frontier on and have not sighted it in yet, the Sidewinder just seemed like it would always shoot high if it sat in my room too long. I normally take squirrels and starlings with it out of the bedroom window in my suburban neighborhood. Tonight I leveled off on a squirrel at 30 yard and shot right over his head, sure enough when I put it to paper it was shooting about 3/4" high...What I am saying is put a 30mm scope on this, it has a powerful spring inside and tends to jump your scope a bit. Please don't get me wrong, I do love this rifle, it is a joy to own and is very accurate. I have taken pigeons at 75 yards with ease. 
 
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"Goodtogo"
Interesting that its too heavy and too hard to cock with the under barrel lever? And if you wanted a hidden lever I would have went for a AA Pro-Sport. But my AA TX200 never had a dieseling problem. Your next rifle you should check the listed weight and maybe try a co2 or a pcp. The important thing is can you hit anything at 40+ yards?
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Well, I didn't say TOO hard to cock. 

I didn't want a hidden lever, this one is already high effort enough cocking for me. ;) I'm used to my Stoeger X20 break-barrel, which seems easier, and I've been shooting the little HW30s a lot these days, so maybe I'm spoiled a bit by easy cocking.

I have CO2 and PCP already. 

As for whether I can hit anything at 40+ yards, we'll see!

I shot a couple hundred rounds through it tonight, it's starting to settle in. Best pellets so far are CPH, H&N FTTP, and Baracuda Match. Exact Heavy is pretty good too.
 
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"Marksman3006"The only "problem" I had was finding a scope mount that didnt move. I started with BKL triple strap mounts......I noticed they were moving back and kept going tighter and tighter until I stripped both front and rear mounts where they clamp onto the 11mm dovetail. Oddly enough........the leapers one piece mount with stop pin that was like 18 bucks stayed put and solved that problem.
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Good tip on the Leapers one piece with stop pins. I have a Leapers one-piece, but I'm not sure if it has the stop pin. 

The highly polished receiver will probably make the scope move around a bit, eh? I think it's time for Picatinny rails machined into the receiver of all springers...
 
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"Photoman213"I have had my TX now for about 1500 rounds, I have to say that the scope has given me issues since day one, I put a Sidewinder on it and really like the glass but it seems like it does not hold true. Tonight I put a Hawke Frontier on and have not sighted it in yet, the Sidewinder just seemed like it would always shoot high if it sat in my room too long. I normally take squirrels and starlings with it out of the bedroom window in my suburban neighborhood. Tonight I leveled off on a squirrel at 30 yard and shot right over his head, sure enough when I put it to paper it was shooting about 3/4" high...What I am saying is put a 30mm scope on this, it has a powerful spring inside and tends to jump your scope a bit. Please don't get me wrong, I do love this rifle, it is a joy to own and is very accurate. I have taken pigeons at 75 yards with ease.
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Check the screws. After maybe 150 rounds or so, I notice my POI going down. When I looked it over, both screws that hold the trigger guard in place were loose (esp. the big front one) and the stock screw on one side was a bit loose too. I tightened them all up just to snug, and it brought my POI up at least an inch and a half at 14 yards and moved it left maybe an inch.

I think I'm going to Loctite them (blue) next time.

How will a 30mm scope jump around less than a 1" one? Being heavier, I would think they'd jump MORE, due to inertia. 
 
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Second Impressions:
  • Pistol grip is sure comfortable!
  • Loading's a bit more finnicky than break-barrels
  • The cheap rubber plug that keeps the cocking lever from knocking on the barrel fell out. Someone mentioned somewhere that the fix is to just put a couple O-rings in those grooves, and why doesn't Air Arms do this? It's not a deal breaker, but it just seems like such a shame to pay that much attention to the steel and stock finish, then neglect this easy little detail.
  • Groups are tightening up. It smells when I shoot a light pellet through it. 
  • The cocking action seems to have a lot of friction in it. I suspect Air Arms built it tight like this, so that when it has been cocked thousands of times, it'll still be reasonably tight, after polishing the heck out of itself.
Here are a couple of targets shot from a rest at 14 yards in my basement after firing probably 100-200 shots prior:



 
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"Marksman3006"About 6 or 7 months ago. I polished the trigger sears.......stained and polished the stock......and put a vortek spring kit in it. I got into pcp airguns and sold it to mrjohns here on the forum about a month or so ago. I did alot of work to it tho and know the TX inside and out now. I will say this.....later on if you feel the bug to upgrade give the vortek spring kits a look. On my rifle it actually improved the accuracy because it smoothed out the shot cycle. The stock setup is already awesome......but the vortek was an improvement in my rifle. If and when you ever relube I would recommend this moly lube. It doesnt diesel and its super slick. A little goes a long ways. You got yourself a very fine airgun for sure. Just shoot the mess out of it for awhile and have fun. I know I sure did. I took alot of critters out with mine in .22 before going deeper down the rabbit hole in this addictive hobby.



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I've had my TX for about 6 years. Maybe AA is using more grease these days. Thanks for the info on the VORTEK spring kit, I've been thinking about getting one.
 
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Been shooting the TX200 a few nights per week. It's still loud.

The zero started wandering, so I checked the scope ring screws; all tight still. Scope didn't seem to be moving.

Last week, the two stock screws on the forearm were loose though, and also the big screw at the front of the trigger guard. I tightened them up and the zero changed back to about where I had it before.

Yesterday night, the same thing started to happen. Loose screws again. It's shooting itself loose. I put blue thread locker on them and re-tightened them. I hope it holds this time. If not, it might be time for a tune with a bit less power. 

I haven't chrono'd it yet, but it feels like a magnum when cocking and shooting. I'm a young man, with a decent amount of muscle, so I don't say that lightly. It's to the point now where it should really be settling down.

One of the pellets it seems to like best is Crosman Premier Heavy, 10.2 gr. Those, I lube with Whiscombe Honey. I wonder if that lube us causing the diesling... and I should just give up and clean the barrel more often. I read somewhere that since Crosman pellets aren't pure lead, but have some antimony in them, they foul barrels more than pure lead pellets. I'd love to use pure lead pellets, but the Crosmans just shoot so darned well! My Marauder loves the CPH and my Stoeger X20 loves the CPLs.

Thoughts?
 
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The honey could be causing the deiseling but that's justa guess . Don't worry about the pellets and what they are made of . If it shoots them best then let em rip !! I had two different TX rifles and sold both , mainly because the way they are set up its almost impossible to load one left handed , and I have arthritis in my right thumb so loading was painful .
My 22 had a " performance " kit in it ( no idea what it was ) and it kicked like crazy and wouldn't shoot straight ...My 177 was tuned down and was of course easier to shoot . Depending on how crazy they got with the lube inside it might diesel a LONG time . YouTube a video about tearing it down and clean it up a little . Most springers do better with less lube .
 
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Thanks for the tips, Joe. 

Yeah, I think I'm going to shoot the CPHs un-lubed from now on. 

I'm still waiting for the bore snake, then I'll give the barrel a proper cleaning. 

I shot probably another 50 rounds tonight, after the Loctite had set up from yesterday. Now, it seems to be shooting the way I'd expect it to. It seems to like CPH, JSB Heavy, and Baracuda/Kodiak. I think I'm going to try a tin of the AA heavies in 4.52 head size, and see how they do. What was telling to me was that the AA 8.4s shoot a LOT better than the JSB 8.4s, even though they look identical and are molded in the same factory. This makes me wonder if AA heavies will shoot better than JSB heavies in a similar fashion...

I read in the manual where they said: "This rifle was tested with Air Arms pellets, and performance is not guaranteed with other pellets." I thought: "Yeah, right. What a bunch of hoo-ha.

Here's a couple targets shot in my basment, from a makeshift rest 14 yards away. I was rested on a pillow on a Delta Rest in the front, and on my fist in the back. (I need to get a proper sandbag for the back, I think.)



 
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The flyer for the JSB Heavy was before I adjusted the windage. The group to the right of the flyer is 5 shots. (all groups are 5 shots, matter of fact)

I can't WAIT to get this out to the range this Saturday, and see what she'll do at 30-60 yards. There's a field target match. I was thinking of shooting my trusty Stoeger X20, since know where it shoots. But I'm going to be mightily tempted to try the TX. Then again, any kind of win with the Stoeger would be sweeter, since it's a cheapy, with a cheap scope. That gun has GREAT barrel lock-up too. It has a triangular latch, instead of the round ball latch my HW30s has.
 
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Man those are some nice groups !! Great parr about a springer like that is they will just get better and better as you learn its little quirks . Just try and focus on good aiming and you will find what shoots best as far as grip and such without even realizing it .
TX rifles are killer . I will buy me a left handed one again one day so it'll be easier for me to load . Once you handle one for a while you understand why people always mention the bluing and wood to metal fit . Post groups when you get a chance to air it out !!
 
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